Architecture as a Catalyst to revitalize the wildlife in Margala Hills,Islamabad

Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology

Project idea

The wildlife of Pakistan is in grave danger due to a lot of damaging policies and the juvenile behavior of the people. This research focuses on the endangered species in Pakistan to understand their needs and take steps to conserve their habitats. The answer to this problem is the building of a Conservation Center. Conservation Centers work to understand the needs of the dying species and work towards their rehabilitation. This research also focuses on understanding the fundamentals needed behind the design of a proper conservation center for endangered wildlife. The area in focus for this research is the Margala Hills in Islamabad. Margala Hills is home to a lot of endangered species and is also the one national animal park visited by people all year long.

Project description

This project consist of 3 main programs which are the Visitors Center, Admin Block, and the main important block which is Animals Rehabilitation Center the wild animals will be treated while the visitors center is for the awareness of the people of Islamabad that how they would tackle the animals if they catch them somewhere. The plan shows that on one side there is the Visitors Center and on another side, there is Rehabilitation Center and the admin center is in the center acting as a backbone for both the programs and the building. While the reason to keep a circular form is that we can get a good view at 360 angles while a square shape limits the view as my site is in Margala Hills, plus I am maintaining the existing trees of the site and bringing them inside the building. The site is on contours so rooms are on different levels keeping an experience for the visitors. To connect the admin block with the Rehabilitation Center bridges were the source of connectivity between the two spaces as the Rehabilitation Center is at a distance from the Admin so the animals don't get disturbed.

Technical information

The construction material which is being used in this project is the Wood, Aluminium, Steel, and Glass, as I haven't leveled the whole site and the building is at different levels wood is used for making the louvers, and steel and aluminum are used for building the structure while louvers and stone are used for the exterior beautification of the building plus both the elements were gripped from the Margala Hills itself.